Power of Wind

That’s probably why polls consistently demonstrate that Americans want more investment in clean energy technologies. We all know that “cleaning” our energy production keeps our country economically competitive, and protects our local communities from pollution.

As a result, it’s no surprise that all energy industries have tried to lay claim to the “clean” label. While most can take credit for making significant strides in reducing their health and environmental impacts, clearly all sources are not equal.

Our best science consistently demonstrates that greenhouse gas emissions from our energy usage pose the largest environmental threat to both humans and wildlife. Of course, once built, wind energy provides an emissions-free source of electricity. But the most widely accepted measure of determining the impact of energy production is tracking the “lifecycle,” or “cradle-to-grave,” environmental impacts.

To definitively determine which energy production method has the least lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, the National Renewable Energy Lab recently completed a comprehensive review of all the literature on the topic. The results were clear: wind energy‘s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are a few percent of those of fossil fuels, lower than nuclear, and even lower than nearly all other renewable energy resources.